Our profession, like many others, often requires out-of-the-box thinking to solve a problem – in our case, a machine issue. So, each month we’re giving you the opportunity to test your ability to think outside the box.
Ready?
The Problem:
You are blindfolded and 10 coins are placed in front of you on a table. Though you are allowed to touch the coins, you can’t tell which way up they are by feeling them. You are told that there are five coins heads up, and five coins tails up, but not which ones are which. How do you make two piles of coins each with the same number of heads up? You can flip the coins any number of times.
Think hard…
The Answer:
- Make two piles with an equal number of coins
- Now, flip all the coins in one pile
How does this work? Let’s look at an example (remembering that there are five heads and five tails):
Scenario #1
Pile 1: HHTTT
Pile 2: HHHTT
When Pile #1 is flipped, it will be:
Pile #1: TTHHH
P1 Heads = P2 Heads
Scenario #2
Pile #1: HTTTT
Pile #2: HHHHT
When Pile #1 is flipped, it will be:
Pile #1: THHHH
P1 Heads = P2 Heads